Thoughts of a Bestfriend
by peetagoreantheorem12
Summary: Collection of one shots from the trilogy of The Hunger Games. Gale's POV.


Chapter 1

I wake up for the 6th time tonight, making sure that Katniss hasn't left the room. I'm scared that she might do something crazy like go to Snow's mansion to kill him but she'll get caught and end up with a bullet in her head. I'm prepared to die but I've never been prepared to see her die.

I look at where she's lying down but my gaze ends up with Peeta who is struggling to stand up. We locked eyes for a moment before I say.

"You're supposed to be sleeping." I reach for my gun so I'll be ready if ever he'll lose control again but he seems to be himself when he replies.

"I was just about to get water."

I stand up and nod at him, telling him to sit down while I get the water for him. I can't help but feel a little uncomfortable doing this for him because since the day he confessed his love for Katniss, all I wanted to do was to see him suffer. I give him a glass of water and I surprised myself when I sit across him.

He drinks quietly. "Thanks for the water." He says softly.

"No problem. I wake up ten times a night anyway." I reply.

"To make sure Katniss is still here?" He says as if he's reading my mind.

"Something like that,"

We didn't talk for a while. I know that I'm supposed to be hating him right now. But instead, the uncomfortable feeling that I have a while ago is now gone. I think of the times when Peeta and Katniss were in the cave during their first Games and talking like they've known each other for so long. And how jealous and how mad I was at him when he proposed to Katniss and she accepted. Talking to him now and seeing how much he's fighting to make his way back to who he really is, I somehow understand now, why Katniss feels the way she feels about him. I sigh heavily, trying to ignore the pain that I'm feeling from that thought.

"That was funny, what Tigris said. About no one knowing what to do with her." He says.

"Well, we never have." I agree. We laugh. This is the first time that I genuinely laugh since the war started. Lately I've been very controlled and aware of what was happening around. Well, we're in a war so I probably have the right reason to act like that. We're silent again for a while, but this time I am not thinking of anything at all.

"She loves you, you know. She as good as told me after they whipped you." He says out of nowhere.

"Don't believe it" I say, even though I wanted to believe him. "The way she kissed you in the Quarter Quell… well, she never kissed me like that." I want to say more but I just continue the list in my mind. _The way she melted into your words in their first Games. The way she looked at you when I was teaching you knots before the Quell. When she almost stopped living when you were captured by the Capitol. _The list is endless and I only start to realize them now. I quickly covered the pain that I'm feeling, not wanting Peeta to see it.

"It was just part of the show." Though, I know that he knows that I could be right, probably, I was right but he hasn't realized the obvious thing yet.

"No you won her over. Gave up everything for her. Maybe that's the only way to convince her you love her." I know that right now the pain in my face is evident. This time, I didn't try to cover it, I don't see the point why. "I should have volunteered to take your place in the first Games. Protected her then."

"You couldn't. She'd never have forgiven you. You had to take care of her family. They matter more to her than her life." I know that's what he'll answer. I decided to conclude the topic since I know that talking about who Katniss loves is a waste of time. Especially when I already know the answer to that one. It hurts but I can't do anything about it. But still, I'm hoping and trying that I could still change her mind and make her see that I could be the right guy for her.

"Well it won't be an issue much longer. I think it's unlikely all three of us will be alive at the end of the war. And if we are, I guess it's Katniss problem. Who to choose." I look at Katniss and her shoulders are tensed and I know that she's awake and obviously eavesdropping. I pretended to yawn. "We should get some sleep."

"Yeah." He agrees. "Though, I wonder how she'll make up her mind."

"Oh that I do know. Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without." I know what I said was horrible but I also know that Katniss has no idea about that. I guess she should know that by now. I smile to myself thinking of how stupid Katniss acts sometimes.

I go back to where I was lying down a while ago and think of the possibility that Katniss might choose me. But there's a voice in my head saying. _She never said she needed you. She said that to Peeta. She acted as this tough girl around you. But she was this vulnerable little girl around Peeta. She never told you she loved you. Yeah, she didn't tell Peeta either, but her actions were telling everyone, that she loved and will love Peeta more than she could love anyone. _


End file.
